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Rankings

Choose from eight categories of rankings including Workforce, R&D, Income and Wealth, Quality of Life, and Education to find out how Maryland stacks up against the competition.

Maryland ranks second nationally in the percentage of high school seniors who scored at the mastery level on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, with 31.2% earning a score of 3 or higher in 2017. Maryland also ranks second among the states in the percentage of graduates taking AP tests during high school at 49.8%, up from 34.9% in 2007. 1

Maryland is first in the nation with 16 higher education institutions designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense education and research. 2

According to Quality Counts, Education Week’s annual assessment of key indicators of student success, Maryland’s K-12 public school system ranks sixth overall based on three graded categories that include chance for success, K-12 achievement and school finance.3

According to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges survey, Johns Hopkins University holds the following rankings: 4

11th overall among top national universities that offer doctoral degrees and 19th in best values

fifth, ranked by high school counselors as offering the best undergraduate education

third among top research medical schools, with top five rankings in the following specialties: drug and alcohol abuse, geriatrics, internal medicine, pediatrics, and women’s health

St. Mary’s College of Maryland ranks fifth among top public liberal arts colleges in the nation

Loyola University Maryland ranks fourth among top northern universities that offer undergraduate and master’s degrees

Mount St. Mary’s University ranks 10th among northern universities as a best college for veterans

Towson University ranks 10th best among public northern universities that offer undergraduate and master’s degrees

Hood College ranks 11th in best values among northern universities that offer undergraduate and master’s degrees and 13th best for veterans

Maryland Institute College of Art ranks ninth overall for its master of fine arts program, with top five rankings in graphic design, painting/drawing and sculpture

Morgan State University ranks 16th among historically black colleges

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda ranks fourth in nursing anesthesia

The United States Naval Academy ranks second in the nation among top public liberal arts colleges, and is ranked first by high school counselors for offering the best education to their students

The United States Naval Academy ranks fifth in undergraduate engineering among schools without PhD programs

According to a U.S. News and World Report ranking of U.S. public high schools, for the third year in a row Maryland places first in the percentage of schools awarded a gold or silver medal for how well schools prepare students for college-level work, based on performance on state and national proficiency tests and graduation rates. 7

Howard Community College ranks seventh and Montgomery College ninth in the nation in Washington Monthly's list of America's Best Colleges for Adult Learners. The ranking of two-year colleges is based on measures of an institution's openness and responsiveness to adult students and how well those students fare upon leaving.
8

The University of Maryland, College Park places 10th in a Kiplinger ranking of the 100 best values among public colleges for 2018 based on a combination of academics and affordability. Three other Maryland institutions also make the top 100 public colleges including Salisbury University, St. Mary’s College and the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Johns Hopkins places 14th in the ranking among private universities. 9

According to the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, the University of Maryland, College Park ranks eighth among undergraduate entrepreneurship programs for 2018. 10

Johns Hopkins University ranks 10th in U.S. News and World Report's list of Best Global Universities, which rates institutions on their academic research performance and global and regional reputations. Further, Hopkins ranks in the top ten in six subject specialties. 11

According to Times Higher Education, Johns Hopkins University is 13th worldwide and ninth among U.S. institutions in a ranking of world universities based on teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. Further, the university ranks eighth worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health fields and 11th for life sciences. 12

The University of Maryland, College Park ranks 15th among U.S. public universities according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. In addition, UMCP ranks in the top 15 worldwide in the following subjects: environmental engineering, aerospace engineering, transportation science, remote sensing, political science, business administration, management, and library and information sciences. 13

Johns Hopkins University ranks 18th worldwide and 15th in the U.S. among research universities according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Hopkins ranks fifth in the world in the field of medicine and 12th in life sciences, with top 15 rankings in the following subjects: biotechnology, biological science, human biological science, clinical medicine, public health, and medical technology. 14

The University of Maryland, College Park, and Johns Hopkins University rank ​among the top 25 doctorate-granting institutions in the nation based on the number of recipients for 2015. Johns Hopkins ranks first in life sciences doctorates, while UMCP ranks seventh for psychology and social sciences, eighth for math and computer sciences, and tenth for physical and earth sciences. Based on a 5-year total (2011-2015), Johns Hopkins ranks ninth in Asian doctorate recipients and UMCP is tenth for doctorates to black or African American recipients. 15

In WalletHub's ranking of the most educated states in the U.S., Maryland ranks second overall based on a combination of educational attainment, school quality, and achievement gaps. 16

Resources

1Maryland State Department of Education press release, February 21, 2018.

2 National Security Agency, Information Assurance Directorate as of January 24, 2017.

3Education Week, Quality Counts 2018, January 17, 2018.

4 U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools 2018 Editions.

5 U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools 2018 Editions.

6 U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools 2018 Editions.

​​Maryland holds the following rankings for women and minority business ownership:
1

​Second in the percentage of women-owned firms as a share of all firms (39.5%); and eighth in the percent of women-owned firms with paid employees as a share of all firms with paid employees (20.5%)

Third in the percentage of African American-owned firms as a share of all firms (23.5%); first in the percent of African American-owned firms with paid employees (5.9%); and seventh in the total number of African American owned firms (125,160)

Eighth in the percentage of Asian-owned firms as a share of all firms (7.9%); and fifth in the percent of Asian-owned firms with paid employees (11.9%)

13th in the percentage of Hispanic-owned firms as a share of all firms (7.0%); and 11th in the percent of Hispanic-owned firms with paid employees (3.5%)

​Maryland ranks third per capita and fourth overall in Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) awards for 2016. Small businesses in Maryland received $94.9 million from the U.S. Small Business Administration through the highly competitive SBIR Program (equating to $15.77 per capita).
2

Maryland ranks fourth overall and third among larger population states in the Kauffman Index of Growth Entrepreneurship, which is based on the rate of startup company growth, the density of high-growth scale-up companies among other young companies, and the density of fast-growing companies among the business population. Further, the Washington DC metro, which includes suburban Maryland, ranks first among the 40 largest metros. 3

With 120 of the nation's fastest growing private sector firms, Maryland ranks fifth among the states for Inc. 5000 companies as a percentage of total companies. 4 ​​​

Baltimore places fifth among "Top Cities for Minority Entrepreneurs," ranking second in economic opportunities for minorities, fifth for opportunity share of new entrepreneurs, and sixth for statup density. 5​

Resources

1 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2012 Survey of Business Owners; ranking excludes Washington, DC.

2 U.S. Small Business Administration, data for 2016​​, and U.S. Census Bureau.

3 Kauffman Index of Growth Entrepreneurship 2017.

4 Inc.com Inc. 5000, August 2017, and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

​Maryland is one of only 11 states with a “triple triple” general obligation bond rating -- AAA rating from the three major bond rating agencies -- and the state has the longest running Triple-A rating with a “stable” outlook from S&P Global, dating back to 1961. 1

​Maryland ranks second per capita among the states and fourth in dollar value of federal government contracts, totaling $30.7 billion. For Department of Defense contracts, the state ranks third per capita among states and fifth in total dollar value with $13.1 billion. 2

According to a study on business taxes by Ernst & Young, Maryland businesses pay the second lowest share of state and local taxes, with business taxes accounting for 31.7% of total taxes collected in the state, compared with 43.9% for the national average. ​Further, Maryland ranks first for the lowest total state and local business taxes paid per dollar of net government spending that benefits businesses. 3

In Location Matters, the State Tax Cost​​s of Doing Business report by the Tax Foundation, Maryland ranks in the top ten states for lowest total effective tax rate for mature businesses in three of the seven business types studied, including labor-intensive manufacturing (fourth), call centers (ninth) and R&D facilities (tenth). 4

In the most recent Business Facilities Ranking Report, Maryland ranks second among the states for education, third for cybersecurity growth potential, fourth as a broadband leader, and ninth as an offshore wind energy leader. Anne Arundel County in the Washington D.C. metro ranks third as an emerging cybersecurity hub, Montgomery County ranks fourth among greenest metros, and Salisbury ranks sixth as a food processing leader. Further, Baltimore Foreign-Trade Zone #74 places eighth among top FTZs for imports. 5

According to fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times, Baltimore ranks seventh among large cities for connectivity, which includes internet speed; mobile phone subscribers; airport access and flights; and number of ports and performance. 6

​The Port of Baltimore ranks ninth for the total dollar value of foreign waterborne commerce and 14th for cargo tonnage among all ports in the nation. 7

Maryland ranks tenth in the 2017 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard compiled by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The report ranks states on the adoption and implementation of energy efficient policies which reduce energy costs, spur job growth, and benefit the environment. Maryland is a top ranked state in the combined heat and power policy category. 8

In an analysis by WalletHub of state economies across key indicators of economic performance and strength, Maryland ranks eighth overall among the states, including a ​sixth place ranking in the innovation potential component. 9

Four Maryland jurisdictions are ranked in the top ten for their population size class in the Center for Digital Government’s 2017 Digital Counties Survey. Montgomery County ranks second among largest counties, Baltimore County is fourth and Prince George's fifth in the next size class, and Charles County ranks third for its smaller size class. The survey examines government technology practices and initiatives to streamline delivery of government services, encourage collaboration, and enhance cybersecurity. 10

Maryland is tenth in Governing magazine's 2016 Ranking of State Economies based on static and dynamic measures of overall economic performance, including the current level and change in unemployment rate, per capita state GDP and per capita personal income. 11​

​M​aryland ranks third among "Best States for Data Innovation," which evaluates key factors that affect state governments' strength in data analytics, and potential for data-driven growth and progress. 12

​​Maryland has the highest median household income for 2016 at $78,945, which is 37% above the national median.
1

Maryland has maintained its first place ranking in the ratio of millionaire households for 2017, with 7.87% of households having $1 million or more in investable or liquid assets.
2

Maryland has the third lowest poverty rate for 2016, with 9.7% of the population living in poverty, compared with 14.0% for the U.S. as a whole.
3

Maryland is home to three of the top 20 large counties in the nation for median household income. Howard County ranks second ($120,941), Montgomery 17th ($99,763) and Calvert 18th ($98,732) among 800+ counties with a population of 65,000 or greater.
4

Maryland ranks fifth among the states in per capita personal income ($58,052).
5

Resources

1 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2016 American Community Survey.

​​Maryland ranks third in the Milken Institute’s biennial State Technology and Science Index for 2016. ​According to study results, Maryland received top ten rankings in all of the index components, including first in the technology and science workforce as well as the technology concentration and dynamism categories. The Index measures the technology and science assets for states, ranking them on their ability to foster and sustain a technology sector, which is crucial in determining a region's future economic success.
1

Maryland ranks sixth in the 2017 State New Economy Index, a measure of a state's economy as knowledge-based, globalized, entrepreneurial, information technology-driven and innovation-based. 2

Maryland/Virginia/Washington DC Metro places fifth in a ranking of the top ten U.S. biopharma clusters based on criteria including patents, NIH grant funding, venture capital, lab space and number of jobs. 3

Maryland ranks sixth among the states in average internet connection speed at 20.2 Mbps for the fourth quarter of 2016. Maryland also ranks highly among states for all levels of broadband adoption evaluated, including fifth in 10 Mbps, sixth in 4 Mbps and 15 Mbps, and seventh in 25 Mbps. 4

​​​Maryland ranks fifth among the states in the square footage of LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita for 2017. By using less energy, LEED buildings save money for businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for workers and the larger community.5

Maryland is first among the states in WalletHub's State Innovation Index based on 18 indicators including share of STEM professionals, R&D spending per capita, tech company density, and other human capital and innovation environment factors. 6

Maryland ranks fifth in the Bloomberg U.S. Innovation Index, which scores states based on six metrics including R&D, productivity, high tech density, STEM employment, science and technology degrees and patent activity. 7

Suburban Maryland/Metro DC, spanning the Rockville and Gaithersburg areas in Montgomery County northwest to Frederick County, ranks sixth among U.S. life sciences clusters. The ranking is based on life science establishment and employment concentration, venture capital and NIH funding, as well as life sciences real estate supply, occupancy and rent.8

Maryland ranks highly in the technology intensity of its business base. The state ranks fourth in science, engineering and technology (SET) establishments as a share of all business establishments (12.3%), third in employment in SET establishments as a share of all employment (16.9%), and seventh in SET business formation as a percent of all business establishments. 9

Maryland ranks among the top ten "Innovation Champions" according to the Consumer Technology Association's 2017 Innovation Scorecard. The ranking is based on ten criteria that include sensible tax structures and policies allowing cutting-edge technologies and new business models to flourish, all of which creates high-quality jobs and healthy economic growth. 10

Johns Hopkins Hospital ranks third in the U.S. News and World Report honor roll of best hospitals in the nation, with excellence in fifteen out of sixteen specialty categories, and the highest rating possible in seven out of nine procedures or conditions evaluated. Further​more, Johns Hopkins Children‘s Center ranks fifth on the honor roll among best children's hospitals, and is nationally ranked in all ten pediatric specialties evaluated. 1 ​

Marylanders ranks second in the 2017 Generosity Index which measures the extent and depth of generosity. The index is based on percentage of tax filers donating to charity, in which Maryland ranks first, and percentage of aggregate income donated, in which the state ranks sixth. 2

Maryland ranks fifth among the states in active physicians per capita, with over 23,400 doctors statewide.3

Maryland ranks seventh for the percentage of households with a computer, and fourth for the percentage of households with a broadband internet subscription. 4

Maryland is sixth in a ranking of America's Best States to Live In, based on poverty level, bachelor degree attainment and life expectancy. 5

Rockville ranks first among best places to raise a family for 2016 based on a number of quality-of-life factors including schools, crime, parks, libraries and walkability. 6​

Four Maryland communities, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Silver Spring and Rockville, rank among the top ten most culturally diverse cities in the U.S. according to a 2018 analysis of 500 cities by WalletHub. Furthermore, the four Montgomery County communities hold the top four places among small cities in the analysis, which is based on an index of ethnicity, race, language and birthplace diversity. 7

Two Maryland cities place in the top 20 in Livability's "Best Places to Live" ranking of small to medium size cities for 2017. Rockville ranks 13th and Columbia 18th based on 40 data points covering economics, demographics, and quality of life factors. 8

​Johns Hopkins University ranks first among U.S. colleges and universities in total National Institutes of Health awards, including grants and contracts for research, development, training and fellowships ($651.8 million).
1

Johns Hopkins University ranks first among academic institutions in the nation in research and development expenditures, totaling $2.43 billion in FY 2016. The university also ranks first in federally funded research ($2.10 billion).
2

​Maryland ranks first in Natio​nal Institutes of Health research and development contract awards ($611.4 million).
3

Maryland ranks first among the states in federal obligations for research and development ($16.8 billion) and first also on a per capita basis.
4

Maryland ranks third in research and development intensity, which is the ratio of total R&D expenditures to gross domestic product (GDP) by state. Maryland ranks fifth in total R&D performance, including federal and state government, business, nonprofit and academia.
5

Maryland ranks fifth in R&D expenditures at universities and colleges, totaling $3.80 billion in FY 2016. Further, Maryland ranks third in federal government R&D spending at universities and colleges with $2.96 billion.
6

According to the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, Maryland is home to 74 federal laboratories, more than twice as many as any other state.7

Johns Hopkins University ranks fourth worldwide among universities in the number of World Intellectual Property Organization administered Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) international patent applications for 2016, totaling 158.8

Resources

​

1 National Institutes of Health, data for FY 2017.

2 National Science Foundation, data for FY 2016.

3 National Institutes of Health, data for FY 2017.

4 National Science Foundation, data for FY 2015, and U.S. Bureau of the Census; ranking excludes Washington, DC.

5 National Science Foundation, data for FY 2015​.

6 National Science Foundation, data for FY 2016.

7Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, federallabs.org, as of January 11, 2018.​

​Marylan​d has the highest concentration of employed doctoral scientists and engineers. The state ranks first in employed PhD scientists and engineers per 100,000 employed workers (1,529), with a first place ranking for PhD scientists (1,172) and second for PhD engin​eers (248). Maryland also holds rankings in the following fields for employed doctoral scientists per 100,000 employed workers:

first in biological sciences (458)

first in health (112)

second in mathematical sciences (60)

third in physical sciences (281)

fourth in computer and information sciences (38)1

​Maryland ranks second among the states in the percentage of professional and technical workers (27.2%) in the workforce.
2

​Maryland ranks third among the states in the percentage of the population age 25 and above with a bachelor’s degree or higher (39.3%) and second in the percentage with a graduate or professional degree (18.5%). 3

According to the Cyberstates 2017 report, Maryland ranks fifth in the concentration of tech jobs in the private sector workforce (8.6%) and sixth in the tech concentration in the total workforce (7.0%). Maryland ranks seventh among the states in average tech industry wages ($107,193), seventh in the ratio of female workers in tech occupations (23.6%), and eighth for tech GSP as a percentage of total GSP (8.8%). Further, the state places ninth for most new tech startups and new tech business establishments in 2015 (1,040). 4

Maryland ranks fourth among the states in federal government employment, with 145,783 non-military federal jobs in 2016. On a per capita basis, the state ranks first with 242 federal jobs per 10,000 residents. Non-military federal jobs generate $14.5 billion in total wages in Maryland, ranking fourth among the states. Further, these jobs pay better in Maryland than in any other state, with an average annual wage of $99,351, which is 27% higher than the national average.
5

Baltimore is the top ranked city in the U.S. according to the Businesswomen Power City Index, which is based on the percentage of women-owned businesses, executive jobs held by women, gender wage gap, and buying power of women. 6

Baltimore is third in a ranking of the best cities for women in technology based on tech jobs filled by women, tech job growth, overall pay for women and the gender pay gap. 7

According to the CBRE Research report "Scoring Tech Talent," Baltimore ranks second in gender diversity in tech occupations, eighth in tech labor pool growth, tenth in tech talent labor concentration, and 11th overall as a top tech talent market. 8